Worth A Try
by Partly
Summary: Bess Marvin and the sidekick blues.


The crowded back room at the Rathskeller threatened to spill out into the quiet main bar and the loud laughter occasionally drowned out the decades old music that Bess had just played on the equally old jukebox. She deliberately ignored the party and dropped into a comfortable chair in the corner. She'd been to enough of Nancy's victory celebrations to be bored by them. Besides everyone there wanted to hear of Nancy's brilliant triumph and Bess' contribution would be a little to depressingly real for the star-stuck gatherers.

Bess lifted her arm and studied the vivid black-and-purple bruise that encased her forearm. She could still see the individual marks where each finger had dug into her and she knew there was another matching print further up her arm. Oddly enough, it only hurt when she looked at it; then she could feel the tight grip around her arm and smell his breath as he yelled at her. She stared at the bruises until they blurred, then she shook the long sleeve of her dress back over them and blinked her eyes clear.

Bess had lost track of the number of times she'd tried to talk some sense into Nancy. They couldn't just keep running headlong into danger and expect to come out of it unscathed. Every time she'd point out the risks, though, they'd just shrug and laugh. IBess the timid. Bess the scaredy-cat./I No. Bess the intelligent. Bess the one who could see things the way they really were. And what did she get for it? Man-handled by some big thug with bad breath and worse plans. Then Nancy comes in with the police just in time to save her and tell her that she had nothing to worry about.

Some things never changed.

"Well, here you are, Bessie!"

George's voice cut into Bess' thoughts and she looked up to see the slim brunette walking towards her.

"What are you doing hiding in here? I would have thought that you would have taken table closer to the buffet table."

Bess bit he lip and fought back a wave of hurt indignation. Maybe inothing/i ever changed.

George flopped down in the chair next Bess and reached over and grabbed a chip from a basketful sitting on the table between them. "Then again, I see you have your own supply." George said as she bit into one.

Bess hadn't even noticed the chips. "Well, you know me. Fat stupid Bess, too scared to do anything but sit around and eat."

"What?" George coughed and sprayed a mouthful of chip crumbs all over. She grabbed her glass and took a couple of quick swallows, all the while staring at Bess and making ineffectual and indecipherable motions with her hands.

Bess took no small amount of pleasure in the whole scene and just stared at her friend.

Once she could talk, George wasn't any more articulate. "I didn't… Whoever said… You're not…" She stumbled to a stop and took a deep breath. "That's dumb, Bess. You're not stupid or fat. You know that."

It wasn't much of an apology, but George said it with the fierce protectiveness that Bess loved about her friend and that went a long way to making it better. She still shrugged, though, not ready to let the topic drop. "Maybe not, but you can't deny that's what people think."

"What people? Where?" George glared into the crowded backroom, her gaze finally settling on a trio of young men standing off to the side – Ned, Burt and Dave. "Dave? Has Dave said anything? I'll give him what-for."

"No, George." Bess laid a hand on her friends arm and smiled despite herself. "Dave hasn't said anything." Which was true and one of the reasons Bess liked him. "It's just a lot of little comments, that's all. Insults that are phrased as clever comments."

"Oh." George colored and glanced sheepishly at the chips sitting next to her. "I'm sorry, Bess. I don't mean anything. I talk sometimes without thinking. I guess I never thought that it would bother you." She suddenly frowned. "I guess I should have."

"Most of the time it doesn't," Bess said. "Apology accepted."

"Feel free to knock me upside the head if I do it again," George said, smiling.

Bess laughed. "You have a deal." She sat back in the chair, feeling happy for the first time since she arrived at the party.

They sat in silence for several minutes watching the milling crowd as it moved around the room. They could easily track Nancy's movements by where the largest number of people were gathered.

"Do you think Nancy will notice we're not in there?" George asked.

"I'm sure she will. As soon as she gets in trouble, she'll call us. We'll swoop in and save her, just in time for her to save the day." Bess frowned into her glass, then looked up at George. "I'm sorry. That came out more bitter than I meant it to."

"Hmmm," George nodded noncommittally and silence fell for a second. "Exactly how bitter did you mean it to sound?"

Embarrassed, Bess ducked her head, but couldn't come up with an answer.

"Actually," George went on, "since it's true, I don't think it could be called bitter at all."

Bess looked up and met George's eyes. "So, I'm not alone in thinking that this whole 'Sleuthing with Nancy' thing is getting a little…"

George continued for her. "Old? Dangerous? Unrewarding?"

Silence fell again as they both took the last swallows from their glasses.

"Yeah, well," Bess finally said, "what are we going to do." It wasn't a question.

George's laugh didn't have any humor in it. "How 'bout I refill our drinks." She reached over and grabbed Bess's glass. "What are you drinking? Pop?"

Bess nodded. "Coke."

"I thought you liked those ridiculous fruity drinks with the sugar and umbrellas?"

"Not tonight. I'm riding home with Dave."

"Dave?" George looked over at the boys who were now standing by the bar and watching the football game that was playing on the TV. "What does riding with Dave have to do with your…" She suddenly spun and gave Bess a hard, appraising look. "Is there something wrong? Is Dave being…" she struggled for a moment, then finally said, "too forward?"

Bess almost laughed. George usually wasn't so shy in saying what she really meant. The concern that was clear in George's eyes stopped the laugh, though. "No, George, Dave isn't too forward. It would be more accurate to say that when I drink…" she couldn't believe she was saying this, "when I drink, bI'm/b too forward."

"You mean he took advantage of you?"

"No. It wasn't like that."

"What…" George chewed her lip and tried again. "I mean, how…" She faded off again.

Bess waited for her to start again and hoped she wouldn't. She didn't want to talk about any of it. Especially not with George.

"Forget it," George said. "It's none of my business. We're in college now. We don't share everything anymore. We've moved on from that."

There was a loneliness to George's comments that cut deeper than the words she said. Nancy took a deep breath and put her hand over George's. "No. We haven't. We're friends. I don't want to move on. I want us always to be able to share everything. It's just the way you said it makes it seem sordid and… and it wasn't that way. I didn't do anything I didn't want to do at the time."

"At the time." George repeated. "And what about now?"

"Now?" Bess discarded a dozen different answers before she looked up and met George's eyes. She smiled wryly and waved at her empty soda glass. "Now I drink Coke." George didn't return the smile, and Bess finally set the glass down and shrugged. "Honestly, George. I'm fine with what happened. Only…" she sighed deeply and looked across the hall to where the boys were still huddled together. "Only, there are some decisions that should be made with a clear head, so that you couldn't second guess them."

"Which is why you drink Coke?"

"I'll save the fruity drinks for when I'm absolutely sure of what I want."

"And you're okay?"

Bess smiled, warmed by her friend's concern. "I'm better than okay." She stood and looked over at the gathered crowd. "How about we join the party? I mean, together we might even be able to keep Nancy from getting into too much trouble."

George laughed. "I'm not sure if that's possible," she said as she walked away.

Maybe not, Bess thought. But as long as the two of them stuck together, it would be worth a try.


End file.
